49ers backfield tackles the texts

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, July 29, 1999

STOCKTON - Tommy Vardell sat in an offensive meeting room earlier this week, amazed at just how short a coach's memory can be.

The 49ers' fullback listened to running backs coach Tom Rathman explaining a play when Rathman realized something was slightly awry - that no halfback in the room had ever carried the ball for this team, let alone on that play. Nobody, that is, except for Vardell. He was around for the 1996 season, started seven games and actually ran the play Rathman had diagrammed, as a halfback. But as Vardell said, "I guess they forgot about that."

What the 49ers can't overlook, however, is all the new faces that dominate their backfield in training camp.

While Pro Bowl running back Garrison Hearst recuperates from surgery to increase the blood flow in his fractured left ankle, the 49ers have been left with only one healthy running back on the roster from last season, second-year fullback Fred Beasley.

"It's a bit unusual, but there are two ways to look at this," said Vardell, a former Stanford star who spent the last two seasons in Detroit. "You can say we have a bunch of hungry new guys who aren't going to fall victim to complacency. On the flip side, there are a lot of players who don't have the experience of working in this offense.

"I probably have the most experience, and I have only been with this team for one year."

When it comes to the backfield, the 49ers have had a rough offseason. They lost Hearst, presumably for the year, and replaced him with a controversial problem child (Lawrence Phillips) and a diminutive big-play specialist with a history of nagging injuries (former Philadelphia Eagle Charlie Garner). At fullback there is Vardell, an eight-year veteran who has never fulfilled expectations, and Beasley, who is still a work in progress.

Combine the 1998 totals of those four players and you get 418 yards on 114 carries and 10 touchdowns. Hearst ran for 1,570 yards by himself last season.

"When you look at it, Fred is the veteran and he played in 2.6 percent of the plays," Rathman said. "What does that say? We've got a lot of learning to do."

Beasley knew his training camp role would change a couple of months ago. After the team traded starting fullback Marc Edwards to Cleveland and Hearst experienced rehabilitation setbacks, Beasley found himself answering more questions during minicamp meetings, explaining responsibilities and terminology to both older and younger players.

For a guy who was nearly overwhelmed last season while trying to pick up the offense, this has been a radical transition.

"Last year I would go up to the line of scrimmage on a passing play at times and wonder if I was actually supposed to be blocking for a running play," said Beasley, the 49ers' sixth-round pick in 1998. "Now I have to be one of the leaders of the group. I don't mind it. It's not a big thing. The thing is that I have more confidence now in what I'm doing."

Head coach Steve Mariucci isn't sure yet how he will handle his backfield.

Garner arrived in camp on Wednesday, a day after Phillips, and both players have shown some positives to the coaching staff. One could emerge as the every-down back or they might become complementary players.

"It was never a given that I would come in and start," said Garner, who signed before Phillips. "It was just a question of who I would compete against. I'm sure both Lawrence and I are excited about this opportunity."

As for fullback, Vardell appears to be the man who will play most of the snaps while Beasley will perform primarily as a blocker. Mariucci said that rookie Terry Jackson has been impressive this week and that former Green Bay Packer Travis Jervey will be a role player in the offense.

Right now, though, utilization is a secondary issue. The running backs are being fed more information at a rapid pace than any other unit on this team. But Rathman believes that when the first game arrives, the backfield won't be something worth forgetting.

"It's a challenge every year to get people to learn the offense," Rathman said. "We don't have much experience right now and we have a long road ahead of us, but we'll get them to the level they need to be at." &lt;